Kids aid park design

By Philip JankowskiWhen deciding what sort of amenities Hutto Lake Park should have as it is developed into a city park, Hutto Parks and Recreation sought the input of those who will likely enjoy it the most: kids.

As part of the input process for designing the park, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hemker and design firm BWM Group spoke with homeowners from Lakeside Estates, the Park Advisory Board and Hutto City Council.

But members of the council were most thrilled by a project involving 19 kids from nearby Ray Elementary, third and fourth graders, who live in homes neighboring the land that will become Hutto Lake Park.

Kids were asked what they liked most and gave, more often than not, forthright answers.

“These are some of the most talented kids I’ve seen, and their help was wonderful,” BWM Group representative Tim Bargainer said during a presentation to the City Council. “Some of the input was phenomenal. These kids are really sharp.”

Priorities like safety and preserving the open spaces at the park remained at the top of the list for the children. Children also said they would want a restroom facility that was well ventilated and cleaned often, according to Bargainer.

Kids were asked to plant small flags where they would like certain aspects of the park, including a bird watching area, a fishing dock and a whimsical children’s garden. Using a GPS navigation device, each flag’s coordinates were recorded and taken into account when creating a preliminary design.

Hutto City Council approved that design Thursday. The park will feature non-motorized boating on the already existing lake on adjacent to many Lakeside Estates homes as well as a smaller pond, a basketball court, children’s garden, a dog park and catch and release fishing to name a few.

With the approval, a landscape architect can begin to make formal designs, Hemker said.

Hutto Lake Park is a $1.2 million project, partially funded by a $400,000 grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife the city won in 2007.

The design is more of a passive use park, designed for people to enjoy nature and trails, as opposed to recreational parks, with sports fields and pools.

“You want to preserve as much of the original open space for free play,” Bargainer said. “You don’t always have to have something there to have a great park.”

Some concerns still remain over the final design of the park. Neighboring homeowners expressed concerns over lighting structures and traffic created by the park.

Adjacent residents may also have a rude awakening when the city begins to develop the park. Some homeowner’s land backs up to the park, and the homes have no fences.

A few homeowners have taken the liberty of using the land themselves, including one person who built a dock on the lake and another who used the extra space to create a putting green.

The city has already destroyed the dock and will mow over the putting green soon, Hemker said.